Effectiveness of Insulin Glargine on Recovery of Patients with Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Management of diabetic ketoacidosis in children: Does early insulin glargine help improve outcomes?

BACKGROUND

Rebound hyperglycemia following the resolution of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is common in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes, increasing the risk of recurrent DKA and complicating the transition to subcutaneous insulin. Multiple studies suggest that early administration of long-acting insulin analogs during DKA management safely improves this transition.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine whether early insulin glargine administration in children with DKA prevents rebound hyperglycemia and recurrent ketosis without increasing the rate of hypoglycemia or hypokalemia.

METHODS

Patients aged <21 years presenting with DKA to Children's Mercy Kansas City between October 2012 and October 2016 were reviewed. They were categorized as Early (>4 h of overlap with intravenous [IV] insulin) and Late (<2 h of overlap) cohorts.

RESULTS

We reviewed 546 DKA admissions (365 Early and 181 Late). Rebound hyperglycemia (>180 mg/dL) was lower in the Early group (66% vs. 85%, p ≤ 0.0001). Hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dL) during IV insulin administration was higher in the Early group than in the Late group (27% vs. 19%, p = 0.042). Hypoglycemia within 12 h of IV insulin discontinuation was lower in the Early group (16% vs. 26%, p = 0.012). Recurrent ketosis, hypokalemia, and cerebral edema were not different between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Early glargine administration in pediatric DKA management is safe, decreases the rate of rebound hyperglycemia, and improves the transition to subcutaneous insulin. Hypoglycemia is less frequent following IV insulin discontinuation with early glargine, but the IV insulin rate may need to be reduced to minimize hypoglycemia during IV insulin infusion.

Review of Subcutaneous Insulin Regimens in the Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Adults and Pediatrics

OBJECTIVE

Summarize the studies evaluating the use of subcutaneous (SQ) insulin in the management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in adults and pediatrics.

DATA SOURCES

A PubMed literature search was conducted for articles published between 2000 and the end of May 2024 which contained the following terms in their title: (1) subcutaneous, glargine, or basal and (2) ketoa*.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION

Review articles, guidelines, meta-analysis, commentaries, studies not related to the acute management of DKA, studies evaluating continuous SQ insulin, animal studies, if the time to DKA resolution was not clearly defined, and studies where basal insulin was administered greater than 6 hours after the insulin infusion was started were excluded.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The electronic search identified 58 articles. Following the initial screening 38 articles were excluded and 3 were added after bibliography review. Of the 23 articles assessed for eligibility, 7 were excluded. Sixteen articles were included. Five studies compared SQ rapid/short-acting insulin and intravenous (IV) insulin infusions in adults, 4 compared SQ rapid/short-acting insulin and IV insulin infusions in pediatrics, 4 evaluated IV insulin infusions with or without SQ basal insulin in adults, and 3 evaluated IV insulin infusions with or without SQ basal insulin in pediatrics.

RELEVANCE TO PATIENT CARE AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

In comparison with IV insulin infusions, rapid/short-acting SQ insulin regimens were associated with reduced ICU admission rates, hospital length of stay, and hospitalization costs. IV insulin infusion regimens that included a single SQ basal insulin dose upon therapy initiation were associated with reduced concurrent IV insulin infusion durations.

CONCLUSION

Studies reviewed suggest that SQ insulin regimens may be as effective and safe as IV insulin infusions in the management of DKA and are associated with the conservation of resources. Providers may refer to this review when establishing or modifying their DKA management protocols.

Effect of the Concomitant Use of Subcutaneous Basal Insulin and Intravenous Insulin Infusion in the Treatment of Severe Hyperglycemic Patients

BACKGRUOUND

No consensus exists regarding the early use of subcutaneous (SC) basal insulin facilitating the transition from continuous intravenous insulin infusion (CIII) to multiple SC insulin injections in patients with severe hyperglycemia other than diabetic ketoacidosis. This study evaluated the effect of early co-administration of SC basal insulin with CIII on glucose control in patients with severe hyperglycemia.

METHODS

Patients who received CIII for the management of severe hyperglycemia were divided into two groups: the early basal insulin group (n=86) if they received the first SC basal insulin 0.25 U/kg body weight within 24 hours of CIII initiation and ≥4 hours before discontinuation, and the delayed basal insulin group (n=79) if they were not classified as the early basal insulin group. Rebound hyperglycemia was defined as blood glucose level of >250 mg/dL in 24 hours following CIII discontinuation. Propensity score matching (PSM) methods were additionally employed for adjusting the confounding factors (n=108).

RESULTS

The rebound hyperglycemia incidence was significantly lower in the early basal insulin group than in the delayed basal insulin group (54.7% vs. 86.1%), despite using PSM methods (51.9%, 85.2%). The length of hospital stay was shorter in the early basal insulin group than in the delayed basal insulin group (8.5 days vs. 9.6 days, P=0.027). The hypoglycemia incidence did not differ between the groups.

CONCLUSION

Early co-administration of basal insulin with CIII prevents rebound hyperglycemia and shorten hospital stay without increasing the hypoglycemic events in patients with severe hyperglycemia.

Evaluation of Insulin Infusion Rates for the Treatment of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in the Emergency Department

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Evaluation of Early Administration of Insulin Glargine in the Acute Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

BACKGROUND

Few studies have evaluated the early use of insulin glargine in the management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) patients. Early insulin glargine use in DKA was safe and associated with a trend towards faster DKA resolution.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of early insulin glargine administration for acute management of DKA in critically ill patients.

METHODS

This single-center retrospective cohort study included patients, who were >18 years of age with DKA, admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for at least 12 h, and received intravenous insulin infusion for at least 6 h. The primary endpoint was the association between the time to insulin glargine administration and time to DKA resolution. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Of the 913 patients evaluated, 380 were included in the study. The overall mean age was 45±17 years, 196 (51.6%) were female, and 262 (70%) patients had type 1 diabetes mellitus. The mean blood glucose level was 584.9±210 mg/dL, pH was 7.16±0.17, anion gap was 28.17±6.9 mEq/L, and serum bicarbonate level was 11.19±5.72 mEq/L. Every 6-h delay in insulin glargine administration was associated with a 26-min increase in time to DKA resolution (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.76-37.44; p<0.0001), 3.2-h increase in insulin infusion duration (95% CI, 28.8-36; p<0.0001), and 6.5-h increase in ICU LOS (95% CI, 5.04-7.92; p<0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Early administration of insulin glargine is potentially safe and may be associated with a reduction in time to DKA resolution and a shorter duration of insulin infusion.

Effect of Adding Insulin Glargine on Glycemic Control in Critically Ill Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Units: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine the effects of adding a longer-acting insulin glargine to existing glucose control on reducing blood-glucose fluctuations in an intensive care unit (ICU).

METHODS

A total of 110 patients randomly received adjuvant insulin glargine 15 IU/day (glargine) or placebo (control), in addition to daily infusion of insulin to maintain glucose levels at a target of 140-180 mg/dL. End points were mean and variance of blood glucose and frequency of hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, ICU stay, and mortality. Data were analyzed with repeated-measures ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

Average daily glucose level was significantly less in the glargine group than controls (P<0.0001), while there was no difference in daily variance in blood glucose between the two groups. The duration of glucose concentrations being within the target range was identical between the glargine and control groups (16.6±4.9 vs 16.4±4.6 hours/day, P=0.844) during the 7 days of admission. The frequency of hypoglycemia was greater in the glargine group and total duration of hyperglycemia (>180 mg/dL) much longer among controls (P<0.001). Similar mortality rates were observed in both groups, while ICU length of stay was 2 days shorter in the glargine group.

CONCLUSION

Addition of insulin glargine to routine protocols more effectively reduces glucose levels and decreases incidence of hyperglycemic episodes and regular insulin usage. This adjustment may be associated with decreases in duration of ICU stay or increases in hypoglycemic events.

A Retrospective Study of Early vs Delayed Home Dose Basal Insulin in the Acute Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

BACKGROUND

Insulin via continuous intravenous infusion (ICII) is a standard of care for treating patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Once DKA is resolved, ICII is transitioned to subcutaneous therapy. However, recent guidelines recommend continuation of home dose subcutaneous basal insulin (HDBI) in patients with DKA. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes in patients who received early vs delayed HDBI.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study of patients ≥16 years old admitted to the medical intensive care unit between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2015 with a primary diagnosis of DKA who received ICII and HDBI. Patients were stratified into early or delayed groups if they received HDBI before or after resolution of DKA, respectively. The primary outcome was incidence of transitional failure, defined as resumption of ICII or recurrence of DKA after initial ICII discontinuation.

RESULTS

A total of 106 admissions were included for analysis; 33 (31.1%) received early HDBI. The incidence of transitional failure was similar between the early and delayed groups (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.26 to 1.44; P = 0.72). In the early group, ICII duration was shorter at 13.8 hours [interquartile range (IQR), 10.1 to 16.5] vs 17.1 hours (IQR, 12.6 to 21.1; P = 0.04), with a trend toward lower rates of hypoglycemia (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.16 to 1.05; P = 0.058).

CONCLUSION

There was no significant difference in incidence of transitional failure between early and delayed HDBI. Early HDBI was associated with a shorter duration of ICII and a trend toward less hypoglycemia. A prospective analysis is needed to confirm these findings.

Correlation of acidosis-adjusted potassium level and cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic ketoacidosis: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

During the progress and resolution of a diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) episode, potassium levels are significantly affected by the extent of acidosis. However, none of the current guidelines take into account acidosis during resuscitation of potassium level in DKA management, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular adverse events.

OBJECTIVE

To assess literature regarding the adjustment of potassium level using pH to calculate pH-adjusted corrected potassium level, and to observe the relationship of cardiovascular outcomes with reported potassium level and pH-adjusted corrected potassium in DKA.

METHODOLOGY

Seven databases were searched from inception to January 2018 for studies which had reported people with diabetes developing diabetic ketoacidosis, in relation to prevalence or incidence, fluid resuscitation or potassium supplementation treatment, treatment or cardiovascular outcomes, and experimentation with DKA management or insulin. Quality of studies was evaluated using Cochrane Risk of Bias and Newcastle Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS

Forty-seven studies were included in qualitative synthesis out of a total of 10,292 retrieved studies. Forty-one studies discussed the potassium level and blood pH at the time of admission, ten studies discussed cardiovascular outcomes, and only four studies concurrently discussed potassium level, pH, and cardiovascular outcomes. Only two studies were graded as good on the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. The reported potassium level was well within normal range (5.8 mmol/L), whereas pH rendered patients to be moderately acidotic (7.13). Surprisingly, none of the included studies mentioned pH-adjusted corrected potassium level and, hence, this was calculated later. Although mean corrected potassium was within the normal range (3.56 mmol/L), 13 studies had corrected potassium below 3.5 mmol/L and five had it below 3.0 mmol/L. Nevertheless, with the exception of one study, none discussed cardiovascular outcomes in the context of potassium or pH-adjusted potassium level.

CONCLUSION

The evidence surrounding cardiovascular outcomes during DKA episodes in light of a pH-adjusted corrected potassium level is scarce. A prospective observational, or preferably, an experimental study in this regard will ensure we can modify and enhance safety of existing DKA treatment protocols.

Glargine co-administration with intravenous insulin in pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis is safe and facilitates transition to a subcutaneous regimen

BACKGROUND

Diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) is a common presentation and complication of type 1 diabetes (T1D). While intravenous insulin is typically used to treat acute metabolic abnormalities, the transition from intravenous to subcutaneous treatment can present a challenge. We hypothesize that co-administration of glargine, a subcutaneous long-acting insulin analog, during insulin infusion may facilitate a flexible and safe transition from intravenous to subcutaneous therapy.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if the practice of administering subcutaneous glargine during intravenous insulin is associated with an increased risk of hypoglycemia, hypokalemia, or other complications in children with DKA.

METHODS

Retrospective chart review of patients aged 2 to 21 years, presenting to our center with DKA between April 2012 and June 2014. Patients were divided into two groups: those co-administered subcutaneous glargine with intravenous insulin for over 4 hours (G+); and patients with less than 2 hours of overlap (G-).

RESULTS

We reviewed 149 DKA admissions (55 G+, 94 G-) from 129 unique patients. There was a similar incidence of hypoglycemia between groups (25% G+ vs 20% G-, P = 0.46). Hypokalemia (<3.5 mmol/L) occurred more frequently in the G+ group (OR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.7-7.0, P = 0.001). Cerebral edema occurred in 2/55 (3.6%) of the G- group and none of the G+ subjects.

CONCLUSION

Co-administration of glargine early in the course of DKA treatment is well tolerated and convenient for discharge planning; however, this approach is associated with an increased risk of hypokalemia.